Is travel a healthy addiction?

Being addicted to travel not only enriches your brain's power, but it can strengthen your heart's health as well. According to the Framingham Heart Study, people who have skipped their vacation days are more likely to develop heart diseases than frequent travelers.



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Dr Brein believes that if travel becomes too much for people, too much a form of escapism that overwhelms a life and all other meaningful pursuits and goals are postponed or ignored until it becomes too late, then travel can be as disruptive as any other addiction.

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We all love to travel, but some people have taken it way too far. They have what specialists call 'an abnormal impulse to travel' also known as Dromomania.

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“When travel is motivated by a desire to escape reality,” she adds, “to embrace a nearly fictional experience that is free of the burdens of life…the experience becomes escapist in quality.”

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Globetrotter, world traveler, voyager, nomad, migrant, itinerant, pilgrim, vagabond, adventurer, commuter, cruise fanatic, venturer, gadabout, jet-setter, gypsy, wayfarer, rolling stone, backpacker, and tourist.

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According to some experts, this adventurous spirit, or wanderlust syndrome, isn't just some trend. They say it's actually in our genes. They've even pinned down a specific one: DRD4-7r, a receptor for dopamine (the pleasure hormone) that they're calling “the travel gene.”

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This is because new experiences are the key to building new neural pathways in the brain. By rewiring your brain, you become more creative and accepting of new ideas. This is why travel makes you happy. It also takes us out of our comfort zones and inspires us to see, taste, and try new things.

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Going to new places helps you improve your mental well-being by experiencing new places, people and cultures and breaking your routine. A recent Washington State University study found out that people who traveled several times a year-even for just 75 miles from home- were 7% happier than those who did not travel.

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Dromomania was a historical psychiatric diagnosis whose primary symptom was uncontrollable urge to walk or wander. Dromomania has also been referred to as traveling fugue. Non-clinically, the term has come to be used to describe a desire for frequent traveling or wanderlust.

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Travel can be a relaxing escape, but it can also be stressful and affect your mental health. Travel-related stress can spark mood changes, depression, and anxiety. Travel can worsen symptoms in people with existing mental illness.

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The new and positive experiences created by traveling help boost serotonin, reduce stress levels, and encourage a more positive outlook. Those mental health benefits also give rise to physical benefits, including more energy and better sleep.

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The truth is that a one-size-fits-all answer doesn't exist here. Your goals and available vacation time will affect how often you can and should take a vacation. However, most studies agree that at least two vacations a year can do wonders for your mental and physical health.

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Many people embark on solo adventures to “find themselves” and explore their identity. Being on your own will also make you realise that you don't need someone else to make you feel whole. Being alone is good for the soul, and can even help you manage problems of depression, anxiety and stress.

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Wanderlust is a strong desire to wander or travel and explore the world.

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More open to new things. According to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, travel opens you up to new experiences and other things that you wouldn't usually try or even engage in and this can feed back into your normal everyday life back home.

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